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Her relationship with Madame Hargrave had given her some acquaintance with the English language, and at this critical moment she remembered an anecdote of George the Fourth, which had led to a phrase, now passed into a proverb, always pleasantly recalled by beauties of a certain age.

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"Faat, farre, and forté," she inwardly repeated, and, with all the quickness of thought, reasoned upon it. Faat-grosse? Je ne suis pas maigre.... Farre, blonde ou belle... belle donc .... et n'est-ce pas que je suis belle? Forté.... ça veut dire quarante. . . . et bien.... j'ai quarante ans, je le sais.... même quelques jours de plus.... mais qu'est-ce que cela fait? Faat, farre, and forté! Alfred!... c'est moi!.... c'est moi que tu aimes!.... Ah, Dieu! Comment est-ce que je l'ai jamais doubté ?"

During the moment thus employed by the lady, Mr. Coventry had recourse to the miniatures, and, as ill luck would have it, again opened that of the Madame Clementina. Had any doubt still remained on her mind, this act would have removed it. What could it mean at such a moment, but that in the extremity of his emotion, her lover found relief in gazing at her portrait rather than at herself?-a portrait indeed was, as she well knew, a sort of hieroglyphic in love, the mere perusal of which was an act of faith.

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But, although Madame Hautrivage was thus satisfactorily convinced of his passion, there were other things, besides its existence, which it deeply behoved her to know, ere she decided upon her own line of conduct in return. the young man been a Frenchman, she would have been less perplexed-but as it was, she had doubts. Did the devoted, the noble-minded Alfred contemplate marriage? There was nothing cruel in the nature of Madame de Hautrivage, and had she felt certain that he did not, her education and her principles would probably have led her to pass a very lenient judgment on his indiscretion; but in her particular position it would be vastly more convenient that he should. She felt called upon, therefore, to act with becoming caution, lest any imprudent symptom of weakness on her part might lead him to change the better line of conduct for the worse. But, while fully impressed with the necessity for this sort of reserve, she at the same time felt it to be absolutely necessary that she should ascertain whether the attachment so openly avowed was of the graver or the lighter quality. From her knowledge of mankind in general, as well as from a latent consciousness that she was not quite so young and so lovely as she had been, she might, perhaps, have been prematurely led to the conclusion that Mr. Coventry intended nothing more than one of those liaisons par amours, for which her happy country was so justly celebrated. But there was a gentle decorum of manner about him, which made her hope better things; and she very nearly convinced herself during the next five minutes' conversation with him, that his views were most strictly honourable, and that she had nothing whatever to fear from the vehemence of his passion, which could militate against the hope-every moment becoming stronger-that his purpose was to win her affections, with no other object than to make her his wife.

After remaining in very idle chit-chat as long as he thought there was any hope of seeing Adèle enter, Mr. Coventry's patience gave way, and suddenly rising, he said,

"My dearest Madame de Hautrivage, I must wish you good morning; and must trust to your goodness to excuse the unreasonable length of the visit I have made. I am not, I confess, without hope, that though I have not dared fully to open my heart to you, yet that you have guessed in some degree what is passing there, and that you do not altogether look upon it with displeasure." "Thank God!" mentally exclaimed Madame de Hautrivage; "he has ventured to speak out at last.”

"Mr. Coventry," she replied, "I will not affect to misunderstand you; such dissimulation would be unworthy of us both; and I am persuaded that I could only lose in your estimation by resorting to it. I scorn to do so, Alfred Coventry,-1 scorn the appearance of throwing difficulties in your way, when my own heart tells me that none exist. I have now said enough, I trust, to still

the agitation of your spirits; and to make you feel all the delicious calm produced by hope unchilled by fear. One word more, and you shall leave me, Alfred. Be assured that the delicacy which has prevented your explaining yourself more fully is well appreciated by me; and that, though a Frenchwoman, and accustomed, perhaps, to plainer speaking, I am not insensible to the charm of that reserve which seems ever, in your countrymen, to accompany the most perfect faith and the truest sincerity. May I not thus interpret it, dear Alfred ?"

"You may, indeed," returned Mr. Coventry, with great earnestness, and not a little pleased at believing that he had succeeded in propitiating the aunt without forfeiting the English privilege of himself confessing his love to the woman who had inspired it. But knowing, as he did, what the manners and customs of "la grande nation" demanded on such occasions, he could not but feel a vast deal of gratitude to the kind-hearted woman who had thus permitted him to break through them all, without testifying the slightest displeasure at it. In truth, at that moment his heart was overflowing with a multitude of happy, gentle, and affectionate feelings; and not wishing to prolong the dialogue, lest he might be led on to say to another what he had determined to utter only to the ear of Adèle, he relieved the overflowing fulness of his emotions by respectfully impressing a kiss on either cheek of his intended aunt.

Had he not left the room the moment after he had perpetrated this audacity, all the foregone conclusions of Madame de Hautrivage might have been overthrown; and all the satisfactory composure of spirit, derived from the conviction that the sanctity of his honourable attachment had put a bridle on its ardour, lost. As it was, however, no man ever left a lady more completely satisfied with his words and conduct.

MEMOIRS OF FRANCIS HORNER, M.P.*

INDEPENDENTLY of the other strong and sterling attractions of this work, we receive it with unusual pleasure, as a new proof of the many advantages attendant on allowing distinguished men to be their own biographers; for such they may always be made, provided there be due diligence, and an absence of misplaced pride and ambition, in the friends or relatives on whom the duty may devolve, of placing on record the history of their public and personal career.

In reference to this point in the instance of the late Francis Horner, we cannot sufficiently express our satisfaction at the successive" disappointments" which have delayed this work till the present time: not on account of that delay-for the matters now placed before us could not have come forward too early; but because it has given us the materials of the feast in that genuine form in which they are not only more wholesome, but more appetising than all the cooking and all the condiments with which the most skilful and experienced chef of the literary cuisine could have served them up. It appears, however, that they have undergone the serious risk of being so treated; first, at the hands of one whose " engagements of official life, and the attractions of a widelyextended society," compelled him, "after several years had elapsed,"

* Memoirs and Correspondence of Francis Horner, M.P. 2 vols.

to return the treasure untouched to its owner; and secondly, at the hands of "another eminent person"-evidently a cordon bleu in his art-and who may be readily guessed at)," who by his early and uninterrupted intimacy with my brother, his varied accomplishments, and his known powers as a writer, was peculiarly fitted to be his biographer."

But he, too, after some years more delay, was compelled to decline the office; and the happy result is before us: we have the materials themselves in all their simplicity and significance, in place of the showy but less useful and durable fabric.

It would be difficult to point out any literary biography more to the purpose, and at the same time more interesting and valuable in itself, than these "Memoirs and Correspondence," which exhibit (for those who will take the trouble of making out its details) a much more complete and authentic picture of the career of their gifted subject, from boyhood till his premature decease, than the most elaborate " biography" could have furnished: yet is there scarcely twenty pages of the whole, that were written with the remotest idea that they should ever see the light, the "Memoir" portion of the work comprising a very few opening and connecting passages by the editor, and a few brief extracts from the private journals of Mr. Horner himself, and the remainder being made up of "Correspondence"-chiefly between the subject of the work and that very distinguished band of friends with whom he was connected from his school-days, and was never afterwards disjoined. The chief of these are Brougham, Jeffrey, Mackintosh, Romilly, Sydney Smith, Hallam, Lord Webb Seymour, Lord Murray, Allen (Master of Dulwich), &c.

The portions of this correspondence, which will probably be deemed the most generally interesting, are those connected with the history of the Edinburgh Review, of which Francis Horner was one of the projectors. But the truly and permanently, because practically valuable portions of the work are those which detail the early studies and progress to distinction of this excellent man,-than whom, though the coterie (for such after all it was) to which he belonged, included several more brilliant, not one was superior-scarcely equal-in that admirable good sense, judgment, and sound practical wisdom which, when directed as they were in this instance, by unshaken and unsullied principles of social and political action, are more valuable and available than genius,-both as regards their possessor and all the rest of the world.

THE WHISPERING GALLERY.

THE COMET.-We are not scientific Astronomers, and cannot direct Telescopicus to the exact spot; but we understand from the Jargonists that its nucleus is somewhere in a Latin constellation, and that the tail passes through a Greek star, goes over an Arabian one, under a Hebrew one, then squeezes between two Danish ones, just brushes a Swedish one, wriggles through a High Dutch cluster, and terminates amidst a small fry of Chinese nebula. Others report that the Comet has been postponed to allow time for the Astrologers to predict it; and there is a very general impression that if the Phænomenon comes skylarking too near us, it is to be apprehended as an "eccentric body."

To Q.-We are not aware when the great Boys' Distribution is to take place the little Boys' Distribution will be just before the Easter holidays.

ART UNIONS.-There can be no doubt but that the proposed Art Union, under the patronage of the Licensed Victuallers, will create a better style of sign-painting. The inferior" tag-rag and bob-tails of the sacred brush," as Peter Pindar called them, will naturally devote their talents to appropriate subjects; and accordingly, at the next Exhibition, the fortunate holders of prizes may expect to select from a large assortment of very superior Saracens' Heads, Belle Sauvages, Red Lions, and Blue Boars.

To M.-Except the two recently come to hand, we have never received any Prints whatever for review.

Mr. Templeton Spencer, who has several times requested an auto-graph, has not favoured us with an address.

Woman's Love, by T. M. is inclosed for the author at Marlborough

street.

Our New York friend compels us, for want of an address, to a public answer. The supposed schoolfellowship is very doubtful. We do not remember "the noble staircase with the Homeric paintings-the fine gardens, and the grape pies," nor yet "the Wards, Slaughter, Bowick, H. Powell, and above all, the delicate Perry." The old familiar names that recur to our memory are Bumblethorpe, Pogglethwaite, Crumpe, Jiggers, and Grumpage.

W.'s Epigram seems personal, but we venture to give it.

ON A VERY STOUT SPINSTER.

To take her all in all, Miss Rachel Paul
Was not the worst upon this earthly ball,
But then she was so very big and tall
That no one liked to take her all in all.

INDEX

TO THE

FIRST PART OF 1843.

ADAM BROWN, the Merchant, by Horace Blanchard, Laman, Esq.-All sorts of
Smith, Esq., reviewed, 278
Advertisement literature of the age,

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little attentions, by, 129-Eccentri-
cities of affectation, by, 248-The
poor devil, by, 291

Borrow, Mr. George, the bible in Spain,
or imprisonment of an Englishman,
in the attempt to circulate the scrip-
tures, reviewed, 140

Bruce, Mr., at Constantinople, and in
Syria, 9, 240

Bosphorus, shores of the, 9, 15

Camberwell beauty, the, a city romance,
by Thomas Hood, Esq., 145
Campbell, Thomas, Esq., life of Frede-
rick the Great, edited by, 137
Canning, Sir Stratford, Ambassador at
Constantinople, 19

Canning, Right Hon. George, 324
China, narratives of the war in, 284,
419, 424

Chinese treaty, epigram on the, by T.
H., 110

Cicero and Marc Antony, 160
College Life; or, the proctor's note-book,
by J. Hewlett, M.A., author of "Pe-
ter Priggins," reviewed, 139
Copts and Egyptians, the, 157
Coventry, ribbon-weavers, the, 389

Damascus, residence of Lady H. Stan-
hope at, 229, 237
December, a farewell to, verses, by B.
C., 97

Deer, spotted, and samber, 210
Defaulter, the "an owre-true tale," by
T. Hood, Esq., 117
2 Q

April.-VOL. LXVII. NO. CCLXVIII.

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